Although the Bay Area doesn’t suffer the swoon-inducing heat and humidity of Japan, Peru, India or the Philippines, we can still enjoy their edible solutions for cooling relief. Some like it icy cold with mounds of shaved ice doused with syrups, while others turn to peppers and spice to induce a natural cooling response. Continue reading →

Noriko Taniguchi cooks Japanese food “the way it used to be” at her cozy Berkeley restaurant, Norikonoko. Surrounded by tiny tea sets and origami cranes hardly bigger than a grain of rice, this nurturing grandmother will make you onigiri, oden or her special pork curry. Continue reading →

On a visit to lovely Kyoto, I choose a hands-on approach to sample its delicacies. With the help of Kyoto Free Guides’ interpreters, I take classes in pickle, soba and sweet making and finally a five course cooking class in a home kitchen. Continue reading →